Apparatus for taking up anodes



June 2l, 1960 F. A. JoHANssoN ETAL 2,941,643

APPARATUS FOR TAKING UP NODES Filed April 21, 1958 F .N F s @www OMKAAMH f m THOV. o No Lv T when T m MA z 5N www WNHTW `'smelt-metallurgical methods.

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR TAKING UP ANODES Fritz Agne Johansson, Skelleftea, and Nils Vlhelm lVlolfvist, Hans Ivar Elvander, and Tnnes Him-ik 'Vladlmn ,Aminoif, Skelleftehamn, Sweden, assignors to Bolidens Gruvaktiebolag, Skelleftehamn, Sweden, a joint-stock company limited of Sweden Filed Apr. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 729,959

Claims priority, application Sweden Feb. 19, 1958 4 Claims. (Cl. 198-20) The present invention relates to an apparatus for taking -up cast anodes having lugs attached thereto.

It is a main object of the invention to provide an apparatus, by means of which cas-t anodes can be lifted and transported from a casting mould preferably to a cooling basin in the production of metals, preferably copper but also nickel, gold and silver, in an automatic operation with consumption of as little Working-power for handling as possible.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for lifting and transporting such anodes which iseasy to handle and serve.

`It is a still further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for lifting and transporting such anodes, which functions in a secure way and which may be incorporated in old plants without too large difficulties.

, It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for lifting and transporting such anodes which covers as little floor area in a plant for production of metals preferably copper as possible.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus which can be operated with as low costs as possible.

As a part of the production of certain metals, such as copper, but also other metals such as nickel, silver and so on, there is often incorporated an electrolytic refining step, which principally involves that a raw product of the metal is cast to an anode and then placed in an electrolytic cell, in which the metal is dissolved anodically and precipitated cathodically on sheets or plates of the desired metal, `which are immersed for said purpose in Aan electrolyte contained in the electro-lytic cell container. The purpose of the refining step is on one hand 'to produce a purer metal and on the other hand to recover elements present in the raw metal. With respect Ito copper there is thus first produced a raw product by This raw product is then 'subjected to a rening step in electrolytic cells for the -production of pure copper and recoveringthe elements 'present in the raw copper, such as gold, silver, selenium Iand so on. The anodes, which are the starting material for the electrolytic refining step, are usually produced by casting the metal in molten condition into suitable casting moulds. 'I'he anodes have the form of rectangular sheets or plates, which are provided with so-called lugs at the top, which are to be supported by the edges of the electrolytic cell cont-ainer during the refining and moreover are to serve as conducting meansfor the elec- `vout in `a mechanical way preferably with as little consumption of manpower as possible. The devices avail- `:able up to now for the aforesaid purpose are based on pneumaticaloperation and are served by one man. Said y.devices show a number `of technical disadvantages so ing moulds, which are arranged on a carousel. The

casting moulds are then caused to turn from the position of casting to the position at which the taking-up occurs. At the latter position a device, such as a pusher, arranged in the bottom ofthe casting moulds projects from the bottom and lifts the anode, whereby the lugs are laid. bare. Jn this position of the cast anode the latter may be engaged by suitable hooking devices and lifted and transported from the place to a basin present in the neighbourhood. The purpose of immersingthe anodes into the basin is preferable to achieve a cooling of said cast anodes before the latter are placed in the electrolytic cell for the refining step. Since copper is the metal which is of particular interest in the present case, the description of the invention will here be effected with respect to said metal.

The invention ischaracterized in that it shows a movable lifting swing or similar whichis adapted to catch or engage the lugs by hooking devices in taking up said y blades adapted to control the swinging movement of the lifting swing at the taking-up place and the discharge place of'the anode respectively, in` such a way as to achieve a hooking of the lugs of the anode at the takingup place and an unhooking of said lugs of said anode,

-that is a loosening ofthe anode fromthel hookening device, at the discharging place.

The invention will` now be described with respect to the enclosed'drawing `which is a perspective view of kthe device seen obliquely from side.

The anodes 1 arecast into `casting moulds 2, which are arranged` on a casting carousel (not shown). Each Acasting mouldon said casting'carouselis passed -by at wa taking-up place for anodes, a pusher device 3 causing the anode to belifted from the bottom so that the lugs 4` are laid bare and may be hooked by suitable devices. The whole lifting and transporting apparatus comprises two-essential parts, namely on one hand a lifting swing and on the other hand two transmission chains 6, 7. Said'transmission chains v6, 7 are endless and their path is arranged to move theliftin-g swing, which is swingably attached to said transmission chains 6, 7, upwardly, horizontally forwardly and further downwardly to a cooling Ibasin 8, at which the lifting swing discharges the transported anode 1 onto-two-transporting `chains 9, 10, by which said anode is passed forwardly in the cooling basin which is lled with or contains a cooling medium preferably water. Il'llie Whole/lifting and transporting apparatus is carried byfa stand, the essential parts of which are twobea-ms 'or bars 11, 12,`which in turn carry 'two vertical sheets or plates 13, 14, respectively, in parallel with each other. Said vertical sheets or plates 13, I14

' are welded to the beams or bars 11, 12. To achie'vethe necessarystrength of the stand plates 13, 14 the latter are attached to each other by means of cross bars or rods 15, 16,17,- said rods or barsu 15, 16, 17 being attached to projecting parts of the plates orvsheets 13, z14 `by -means of suitable screwand nut-connections (known in the art). The transport chain 6 is endless -and -it is driven over a toothed wheel 18, which isv attached to .la driving shaft 19, .said shaft 19 being operated' by`an electric motor (not shown). 'Ihe toothed wheel 18 is in toothed wheels 22, 23, 24, 25 which are caused torotate on pins with bearings attached to the plate 13. Said pins are passed through the sheet or plate and attached to the opposite surface of the sheet by flanges which are Yattached to the sheet by screws passed through yholes in said flanges. Said holes are elongated in cross section. The transport chain is provided with rotatable rollers V26 atl the contact points of the links which are to be supported by lists or borders 27 which are attached to or are an integrating part of the sheet 13. The top surface of said list is here adapted to be a rolling path for the transmission chain so that a part of the power consumed in the lifting Voperation be not taken up only by lthe chain. A

It will be appreciated that the device according to the invention shows two transport chains but only one of said transport chains has been described in detail.

corresponding description may also be made as to the second transmission chain but this involves only unnec- -essary repetitions of obviousrmatter in view of preceding description. It should only be pointed out that the chains are operated synchronously from the same driving shaft 19 by means of the electric motor (not shown).

vFurthermore, it may be mentioned that in the stand columns 11, 12r there are attached cross cars, it, however,

being pointed out that only that corresponding to beamV 11 is shown on the drawing and is referred to by reference numeral 28.

The lifting swing 5 is swin-gably arranged in the two transport chains by means of rotatable pins, which are attached thereto. \In each one of t-he transport chains there are attached two bars 5, 29 and 30, 31, respectively, which are in the vertical plane and form a certain angle with each other, the tips of these beams forming angles with each other are in turn combined with each other by means of separate beams 32 and 33, respectively. The bars attached to the transport chains are cross combined with each other by means of bars 34, 35, 36. At the end of `the bar 34 there are attached rotatable rollers 37, 38. Furthermore inthe lower part of the lifting swing there are attached two hooks 39,40 which are yintended to hook the lugs laid bare of the anode-and transport said anode to the discharging place, that is the basin 8. In hooking on and hooking olf said anode the movement of the lifting swing is guided by two guiding devices, which each Vcomprise bars 41, 42 and 43, 44, respectively, parallel with each other, with which rollers 37, 38 are contacted to said places. The bars V41, 42 are attached to a stand composed of bars 45, 46. The bars 43, 44 are attached in a not shown way since obvious to everyone skilled in the art in the stand formed by the bars 11, 12. To the bar 36 there is over a `lever 47 .attached a counter-weight 48 under the influence of which the lifting swim-gris caused to be contacted or supported by the guiding blades.

1Said hooks are attached to blocks 49, 50 welded or attached to the cross bar 34 in such a way as to allow them `of sliding against spring-pressure ina direction which'is opposite to that in which stresses are introduced on lifting and transporting the anode. IIf when hookingon' the hooks should not engage the lugs of the anode 'laid barethere will be a displacement of the hooks in one block or both blocks 49, 50. In this displacement at a certain position a switch will be connected. VThis switch is an element of an electric duct which also contains a circuit breaker adapted toV switch on and switch olf the electric motord'riving the lifting swing, respec- 4 tively. Due to this the motor will be stopped if it should not hook the lugs of the anode laid bare. In the device there is such a system Ifor eachk of the hooks 49 and 50 respectively and these systems are arranged to function independently of each other.. l

It is to be pointed out that the devices which guide the lifting swing when carrying out the hooking step and the unhookingstep of the anode have been described as bars or blades with which the rollers of the lifting swing are contacted and guided due to the shape of said bars or blades. ,Said bars or blades may be replaced byequivalent suitable means, such as sheets shaped in a corresponding way to effect the desired movementgof the lifting swing yto effect the hooking and the unhooking of the anode, respectively. l

The device functions in the following way:

When the casting carousel is braked for each new casting of anodes an impulse from the braking system is sent to the motor of the anode to the device for taking-up anodes. 4The anode 1 to be lifted is then in position for lifting, that is it has its lugs laid bare from the casting mould 2.

Due to the guiding blades 43, 44 the engaging hooks 39, 40 of the lifting swing are caused to effect a hooking operation, after which the transport chains 6, 7 cause the anode primarily to be elevated and then to be moved horizontally towards the cooling basin 8, in which it is lowered vertically down into the aqueous medium due to the influence of the guiding blades 41, 42 by means of which unhooking of the lifted anode occurs due to corresponding shape of said blades. Immediately subsequent to the unhooking position the lifting swing is also disengaged from the contact with the guiding blades 37, 38. Due -to the counter-weight 48 the lifting swing will now pendle up from the basin. The pendle movement occurring herein is suitably braked, for example by suitable y new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. An apparatus -for lifting and transporting sheets having lugs attached thereto, such as cast anod'es, from a first station, such as a casting place, to a second station, such as a delivery place; said apparatus comprising a conveying means having vertical reaches above each station and an overhead horizontal reach between the stations, a carrier swingably suspended from the conveying means, said carrier having a lower end portion provided with hook means for gripping the lugs, guide elements on the carrier above and offset from the hook means, a first guide means at the first station for engagement with the guide elements to swing the carrier away from and then toward its travel direction between the stations so as to cause the hook means to engage the lugs and a second guide means co- -operable with the guide elements on the carrier and disposed at the second station for moving the carrier away from and then toward such travel direction to disengage the hook means from the lugs, said rst and second guide means cooperating with the guide elements of the carrier in response to the vertical movement of the carrier at each station.

2. An apparatus for lifting and transporting sheetshaving lugs attached thereto, such as cast anodes, from a first station, such as a casting place, to a second station, such asa delivery place; said apparatus comprising a conveying means having vertical reaches above each station and an overhead horizontalfreach between the stations, a carrier swingably suspended from the conveying means, said carrier having a lower end portion provided with hook means for gripping the lugs, guide elements on the carrier above and ol'set from the hook means, a iirst guide means at the first station for engagement with the guide elements to swing the carrier away from and then toward its travel direction between the stations so as to cause the hook means to engage the lugs, a second guide means cooperable with the guide elements on the carrier and disposed at the second station for moving the carrier away from and then toward such travel direction to disengage the hook means from the lugs, said irst and second guide means cooperating with the guide means of the carrier in response to the vertical movement of the carrier at each station and a counter balance weight carried by the carrier. Y

3. An apparatus for lifting and transporting sheets having lugs attached thereto, such as cast anodes, from a rst station, such as a casting place, to a second station, such as a delivery place; said apparatus comprising a conveying means having vertical reaches above each station and an overhead horizontal reach between the stations, a carrier swingably suspended from the conveying means, said carrier having a lower end portion provided with hook means for gripping the lugs, guide elements on the carrier above and oiset from the hook means, a first guide means at the rst station for engagement with the guide elements to swing the carrier away from and then toward its travel direction between the stations so` as to cause the hook means to engage the lugs, a second guide means cooperable with the guide elements on the carrier and disposed at the second station for moving the carrier away from and then toward such travel direction to disengage the hook means from the lugs, said first and second guide means cooperating with the guide means of the carrier in response to the vertical movement of the carrier at each station and said conveying means including rollers and supporting tracks extending between the two stations on which the rollers travel.

4. An apparatus for lifting and transporting sheets having lugs attached thereto, such as cast anodes, from a first station, such as a casting place, to a second station, such as a delivery place; said apparatus comprising a conveying means having vertical reaches above each station and an overhead horizontal reach between the stations, a carrier swingably suspended from the conveying means and having a lower end portion provided with means for gripping lugs, guide means on the carrier above and offset from the such gripping means, a rst stationary guide means at the first station for engagement with the guide means to swing the carrier away from and then toward its travel direction between the stations so as to cause the gripping means to engage the lugs, a second stationary guide means cooperable with the guide means on the carrier and disposed at the second station for moving the carrier away from and then toward such travel direction to disengage the gripping means from the lugs, said irst and second stationary guide means cooperating with the guide means of the carrier in response to the vertical movement of the carrier at each station, said conveying means including spaced `apart and cooperating endless chains, sprocket means drivingly supporting the chains and said chains including rollers and supporting tracks disposed between the two stations and on ywhich the rollers ride.

References Cited in the le of this: patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

